STRASBOURG: Georgia's president on Wednesday called on Europe to up its support for pro-EU demonstrators who have been "fighting day and night" in Tbilisi to demand fresh elections in the Black Sea country. Salome Zurabishvili told the European Parliament that Brussels has been "slow to wake up" to the crisis unfolding in her nation, where the government faces a legitimacy crisis and a mounting international outcry over human rights violations. "Europe so far has not fully lived to the moment. Europe has so far met the challenge halfway," Zurabishvili, who is at loggerheads with the ruling Georgian Dream party, told lawmakers in Strasbourg.
Georgia's authorities have forcefully clamped down on pro-EU demonstrators taking to the streets in recent weeks to protest the government's decision to shelve its push to join the bloc. The crackdown followed an unprecedented constitutional crisis that saw Zurabishvili declare the newly elected parliament and government "illegitimate" after the opposition accused Georgian Dream of rigging parliamentary polls in October.
Zurabishvili's mandate is meant to end later this month after the ruling party picked an ex-footballer to replace her -- but she is vowing to stay in the post unless there is a general election re-run. "While European flags are being banned in Tbilisi, Georgians are still waiting for biting measures to come from Brussels," Zurabishvili told a plenary sitting of the EU parliament, urging the 27-nation bloc to "use your leverage". "Europe is Georgia's biggest donor, Georgia's biggest market... If Europe cannot exert leverage on a country of 3.7 million, how can it expect to compete with the giants of the 21st century?", she asked.
While condemning the crackdown on demonstrators, the EU has for now just agreed to take the largely symbolic move of imposing visa requirements on Georgian diplomatic passport holders -- with Hungary blocking other sanctions. Zurabishvili pleaded for further action against Tbilisi's "corrupt" leadership, including a more vocal support of demonstrators and help to fight "lies" spread by the government. "If Georgia falls under Russian control... the stakes are very high," Zurabishvili said, describing her country as "Europe's foothold" in the Caucasus. "I hope we won't have to wait for a deeper crisis to occur for Europe to act". Critics accuse Georgian Dream of steering the country back towards Russia. "To the people of Georgia: You are not alone," European parliament president Roberta Metsola wrote on X.
Several thousand people gathered outside the parliament meanwhile for the 19th straight night of protests, sparked by the government's shock announcement that it would shelve EU accession talks until 2028. Protesters hailed the cancellation of the ceremony as a symbolic victory. — AFP
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